The Stray Uchiha
by TitaniumTyger
Summary: The Uchiha massacre, a tragedy that nearly wiped out a powerful, shady clan. Despite this, one Uchiha managed to live, due to leaving the village a year after the Nine Tails incident. This story follows Hitomi, her days in the Hidden Leaf, the circumstances leading to her departure and what follows after she settles in a different village.
1. Chapter 1: The Ripple

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT. NARUTO IS THE PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

**Author's Note: While The Sand Siblings are in the major characters area, it'll be a while before they actually show up. Just a head's up for those reading this. Despite my original characters having a major role, I'll do my best to include the official characters as much as possible and keep them in character to balance things out. Things will start at a snail's pace at first, but things will pick up in due time.**

**Also, this is my first attempt at a fanfiction. Ever. Due to this, I'd appreciate any critique. It's what helps me improve as a writer and helps me seek ways to make this fanfiction better.**

**Author's Note 3/28/2014: I changed the summary of The Stray Uchiha to make it a bit more appealing. I hadn't noticed until today how much I rushed it. But now its fixed for you readers to enjoy.**

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**Chapter One: A Ripple**

The Village Hidden in the Leaves, a village of ninjas found within the Land of Fire. Despite ninjas being a major part of its residence, the village is well-known for its peace and tranquility. Various clans live among each other in harmony, one of clans being the prestigious Uchiha clan. They live in their own district within the village and hailed as the Leaf's strongest clan. Inside one of the houses lived a ten-year old Uchiha girl named Hitomi. Her story began after a day in the academy. It was late in the afternoon and the sun has started to set. She walked past two of her kinsman, both of whom were around the same age, as she made her way back to her classroom. They eyed her as she reached her classroom.

"Hello, teacher!" Hitomi said in an excited tone. She quickly took a peek at a few pieces of paper on her sensei's desk before he turned around.

"Oh! Staying late again, Hitomi?" Ask her teacher. "This is the second time…any reason why?"

"I just want to see what teachers do after each lesson." Hitomi answered as she took another peek at the papers on the desk. The front page is labeled "Lesson Plans." "You see…I want to become a teacher in this academy one day."

Her teacher looked at her with wide eyes. "_A member of the Uchiha clan, who wants to become a teacher?_" He thought to himself. "Oh, that's splendid to hear! It's great to hear such a youthful student express interest in teaching! May I ask why?"

"I watched you and the other teachers teach and…well…it looks fun." Answered Hitomi in an innocent way. "It looks like a lot of work though."

Her sensei laughed. "_I'll have to ask her the same question after she comes of age." _He patted Hitomi's shoulder and gave her a smile. "Oh, it's a lot of work. But there's a joy in teaching students. It never gets old! There are too many interesting characters to interact with, you included! Tell you what. After tomorrow's class, I'll start giving you some lessons on becoming a teacher."

Hitomi grinned. "That sounds great! Thank you! See you tomorrow!" She quickly took her leave with a wave.

"…For an Uchiha to pursue teaching instead of the Police Force or something in the battlefield…perhaps I've misjudged them…" The teacher thought to himself.

Hitomi, now filled with energy, ran out of the academy and headed towards the Uchiha District. She said her frequent 'pardons' and 'excuse me's' after nearly bumping into several pedestrians. The same kinsmen she passed by before were among them.

"That's Hitomi alright…" Said the first Uchiha boy as he leaned against a wall. "She visited the academy late again…is she trying to gain the favour of the teachers?" He finished his sentence with a light chuckle.

"Not quite, Ichiro." The second Uchiha boy said with a bit of a snarl. "It's pretty obvious why she's visiting and it disappoints me…she wants to become a teacher."

Ichiro glanced at him in disbelief. "Wh-what? Seriously, Kojiro? But…Why such a mundane job..? My father told me all Uchihas become officers, or go on to many missions in distant lands…"

Kojiro scoffed. "Some of our kind just isn't fit for jobs like that. Or rather, they are fit, but they ignore their true calling. A shame, really…our ancestors weep at such ordinary aspirations…hey, you!"

Hitomi stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Oh, did I bump into you? I'm sorry; I'm just in a rush!" She chuckled nervously as she moved her black hair away from her face.

Kojiro approached her while shaking his head. "I know who you are, Hitomi. Which is why I want to ask…why would you refuse our clan's true calling? Why pursue such a unfulfilling goal like a teacher?"

Hitomi narrowed her eyebrows and dropped her smile. "I'm sorry? Why do you care? I want to become a teacher. What's so bad about that?

The older Uchiha glared at Hitomi and yelled at her. "It's not one that suits our clan! Have you never heard the stories of the Uchiha of old?! We should all be just like them!"

Ichiro held Kojiro by his shoulder. "Kojiro, stop it. Calm down." He turns his attention to Hitomi. "I'm sorry for my friend's behavior. He's-

"No, that's okay." Hitomi said, her smile returning. "But I want to tell your friend something: I picked teaching because I want to. Not to be like someone else…also, I haven't heard anything about my ancestor's stories…and I don't want to." With that, she turned around and went off her way.

Kojiro pushed Ichiro's hand off and growled. "We'll see how that'll work out, Hitomi…a future officer like me and a future teacher like you!" He spat as he utters the word 'teacher.' "That will tell us who exactly made the right choice for the Uchiha!"

Hitomi paid no heed to Kojiro's warning as she went on home to catch some sleep. Upon walking in, she is greeted by an elder man.

"Welcome home, my daughter." The elder man said. "How was the academy today?"

"Hello, father." Hitomi responded. "I have some great news! I told my teacher about my goal on teaching!"

"You did? Please, tell me-what did he say?"

"Heehee, he is going to give me lessons on teaching after each class!"

"That's my daughter. Good for you, Hitomi. You are young, so you'll be able to absorb the knowledge like clockwork." He walked towards a bureau and touched a picture of a fair-skinned, black-haired woman. "You make your mother proud. This is what our clans needs…"

Hitomi looked at her father with a curious expression. "Father? What was that about the clan…?"

"No, it's nothing…just thinking outloud."

"It's funny you mention the clan, father…one of my classmates, a fellow Uchiha, couldn't believe I wanted to become a teacher. He said we should all be officers; called it our 'calling.'"

Her father let out a sigh and chuckled. "Hitomi…this is a good time to tell you something about our clan: our clan is a warrior clan. They crave battle. While this isn't necessarily bad, the Uchiha tend to go above and beyond. I'll tell you more in due time…but for now, keep pursuing your goal as a teacher. Remember, just because you're an Uchiha, does not mean everything belongs to you. Continue to work hard and take as many lessons as possible; enough to make your future students call you the best teacher in the Hidden Leaf.

Hitomi smiled and hugged her father. "You got it! I won't let you down!"

"Never mind me, my daughter. Don't let yourself down." Her father patted her head. "Now get some rest, teacher-to-be Hitomi."

Hitomi ran to her room to get some sleep. She briefly stopped by the picture of her mother. "Good night, mother. Watch me from wherever you are." She then shuts the door to her room.

Her father sat on a chair and gazed out a window. "You can do it, Hitomi. Pull this off and you'll create a ripple; a ripple to stretch across the Uchiha clan and change it…for the better." He closed his eyes and began to drift in his inner thoughts…


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT. NARUTO IS THE PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

**Author's Note: This took a little longer than I expected to finish, but I did it. Here's the second chapter of Hitomi's story. It goes off with another slow start, but it picks up near the end. Critique is once again appreciated and I hope you, my readers, enjoy.**

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**Chapter 2: Preparations**

Hitomi couldn't wait for her school day to end. She shook in excitement as she sat on her chair, eagerly waiting for her extra lessons to begin. When her teacher finally dismissed the class, Hitomi nearly jumped out of her seat with a cheer. She waited for her classmates to leave the school before she approached her teacher.

Her teacher gave her a smile and folded his papers. "Glad you could stay, Hitomi. I'm glad you've taken this chance to take the small steps towards becoming a teacher. Now, for the first day, I only want to impart some nuggets of wisdom to you. Nothing 'hands on' yet. You don't mind?

Hitomi nodded with a determined look in her eyes. "I want to learn, teacher. Any lesson will help me." She took a spare chair from the nearby closet and sat in front of her teacher's desk.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear!" Her teacher laughed happily. "Now, for my advice…treat your students equally and offer as much advice as you can. Even for the so-called "dead-lasts."

Hitomi looked at her teacher curiously. "Dead-lasts?"

"A 'nickname' adopted by some of the arrogant students to demean the students who are not doing so well. Now, of course, if those students reject all advances to help them, then it's on them. However, that doesn't mean you should give up easily either. Seek out ways to help them if they are struggling. That's the mark of a great teacher. Its basic things, but it will apply to everything you do.

"I understand," Hitomi said with bow. She took out a small book and started to write what her teacher said. "Start off small…just like any other lesson…"

"Haha, you are quite right. Teaching is a role that requires a lot of patience. To rush in without giving consideration for the smaller things can lead to the students missing simple, yet valuable lessons."

Hitomi leaned against a desk and pondered. "Rush in…that reminds me. A kinsman of mine talked to me yesterday evening; Kojiro Uchiha. He asked me why I wanted to become a teacher. He said becoming an officer is the right choice for the clan…He doesn't look at the smaller things."

"A solid connection, Hitomi. You're already showing signs of a developing mind. That is a growing problem today…ninjas these days are failing to notice simple things and want to jump straight to complex situations they have a little understanding of. Particularly…the Uchiha." He looked at Hitomi, ready for a shocked expression. To his surprise, Hitomi's expression remained the same.

"My father told me already, teacher." Hitomi gathered her belongings. "I think I'm close to finding a reason to become a teacher; a real reason instead of for the sake of it. Thank you, teacher."

"Now remember, Hitomi: You can't become a full-fledged teacher until you've achieved the rank of chunin. While you are taking these extra lessons, do not forget to pay attention to your normal obligations as a student and train yourself hard. You will need to develop those skills first, as well as pass the graduation exam soon. I know it seems like I'm putting a lot on a girl your age, but these are things to consider in advance."

Hitomi shook her head. "I like a challenge. Besides, I plan on seeing this to the end. I'm ready for anything that will come my way. Be ready to see my name at the graduation ceremony, teacher. Hitomi Uchiha is taking off."

With that, Hitomi bid her teacher farewell and left the academy. Their conversation repeated over and over in her mind. As her anticipation grew, her mouth stretched into a big smile. She ran straight home and opened her front door.

Her father nearly jumped out of his chair due to Hitomi's abrupt entrance. "Sheesh, Hitomi! You nearly scared me to death!" He is holding his chest and gasping for air. "I'm not getting any younger, you know. Can't risk getting a heart attack…"

Hitomi chuckled and bit her lip. "Sorry, father…say, mind if I asked you something?"

"Of course, Hitomi," Said her father, who has quickly settled down. "What is it?"

"Since my graduation exams aren't that far away, I was wondering if I could learn anything from you beforehand."

"Eager to learn more…are you sure you can handle cramming more information, Hitomi?"

"I'm very sure, father," Hitomi said defiantly. "The more I learn, the closer I am to realizing my own reasons for choosing my path. And now, I'm so close…"

Her father smiled and got up from his chair. "Very well, my daughter. If you feel that strongly about your path, then I will help in whatever way I can. Now, follow me."

He leads Hitomi to his room. It's a simple room with two small tables and a large bed in between them. With a single hand motion, a seal appeared on the floor and the tiles moved to the side. Hitomi's eyes widened as she sees a descending set of stairs. She stepped forward then looked at her father.

"I can see you're surprised, Hitomi," Her father said with a small smile. "This is the training area your mother built when we moved in this house. I…I haven't opened this seal since her funeral. You were only three when she died. Please, go first, Hitomi. You and this area are her legacy.

Now feeling some weight across her body, Hitomi slowly descended the steps. After walking down about five steps, all she could see was darkness. "Ah…I can't see a thing…father? There's no light down here."

Her father remained at the top of the stairs. "No surprise there…are you afraid of the darkness, Hitomi? This is your first lesson: pierce the darkness with light. You will use the clan's fire to do so. Do you recall lessons on manipulating chakra? Try doing the same thing, but the focus point of your chakra will be your chest. When you feel the chakra build up, that's your time to unleash it. The seals for the FireBall Jutsu are Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. There are shorter versions, but by performing more hand seals, you can focus chakra more efficiently. Can you do it?"

Hitomi stared at the darkness in front of her and planted her feet firmly on the floor. "I'm sure can. I KNOW I can."

Without blinking, Hitomi performed the necessary hand seals and focused chakra in her chest. Once she felt a sudden pressure in her chest, she released the chakra through her mouth. A stream of fire shot from her mouth, which briefly illuminated the area before dying off. Unhindered by this short-coming, Hitomi quickly repeated the process and accumulated more chakra in her chest. Once she had built up the necessary chakra, instead of forcing it all out, she released the chakra in a steady way. As a result, the fire formed a sphere, which slowly revolved. Once Hitomi was able to see her surroundings, she noticed several candles placed around. She slightly increased the size of the flame, which increased the size of the fire-ball. This was enough to ignite the candles.

With a sharp inhale, Hitomi dropped to one knee and grinned. "At last..!" Hitomi yelled to herself. She turned her head and saw her father standing on a stair, who had seen Hitomi's performance.

"My daughter…I am already proud of you…that was incredible." Her father helped Hitomi to her feet and looked at the scrolls organized in many cabinets.

Hitomi chuckled and hugged her father before walking towards one of the cabinets. "That was just the beginning, father. There is still a long way to go…" She picked up one of the scrolls with Earth written on it. "Time to get busy and get to work…"


	3. Chapter 3: Graduation Exam Part 1

******DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT. NARUTO IS THE PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

******A/N: This took a bit longer than the last, but I'm happy to say that my mind is now teeming with ideas. Hopefully chapter 4 will arrive much sooner, thanks to aforementioned ideas. And do not fear the "Part 1" in the title, Part 2 will be the last. xD Critiques, comments and the like is welcome.**

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**Chapter 3: Graduation Exam Part 1**

Two weeks have passed since Hitomi was introduced to her mother's training area by her father. Only one day remained before Hitomi took the final exam; the exam that will enable her to pass and become an official ninja. Her penultimate day had no lessons, which gave her the whole day to focus and prepare for the exam. The anticipation was enough to wake Hitomi up right before dawn.

"Today's the day. I can't waste a single minute," Hitomi said to herself as she put on a grey kimono and hakamana. She also styled her hair in a ponytail so it won't get in her way. She closed in on her front door, when she noticed her father sitting in the living room.

"You're not going anywhere," Said her father. "Until you show me what you've learned; all of it." He opened the back door, which revealed a large circle of sand. He walked towards the sand circle. "Are you ready, my daughter?"

Hitomi smiled and leaped towards the sand circle. "Yes I am…father."

Hitomi was first to act; she ran towards her father and went for a leaping knee strike. Her father caught her in mid air and tossed her to the side. Hitomi rolled on the sand and quickly got up. She kicked the sand up at father, which landed all over his face. She then took advantage of the opening and went for a leg sweep. Although she landed the sweep, it was not enough to knock him off his feet. After Hitomi's father brushed the sand away from his eyes, he relaxed his body.

"Come on, Hitomi," He said. "This is a good time to use some jutsu. You won't know your chakra capacity. Go on, Hitomi. Do it!"

Spurred by her father's words, Hitomi leaped straight up and tossed several shurikens at him. As he deflected them, Hitomi continued to add pressure by performing several hand seals. She then exhaled a ball of fire at him. Her father barely dodged; parts of his clothes were burnt by the jutsu. As the fire dissipated and turned into smoke, Hitomi landed on her feet.

"_Watch this, mother._" Hitomi thought as she clapped her hands together and performed a long string of hand seals. She leaped out of the sand circle and then stomped her foot on the ground. This caused the ground to rise and become a short pillar of about five feet. "_Earth Pillar Jutsu…not as tall as I hoped, but…_" With a kick, the earth pillar tilted and fell down towards the smoke.

Her father managed to avoid the pillar, despite it being obscured by the smoke. He jumped on the pillar and sliced a portion of it with a kunai. As soon as he spotted Hitomi, he tossed his kunai near her foot. While Hitomi was distracted by the kunai, her father tossed the small part of the pillar at her head. Hitomi moved her head just in time, however.

Her father felt his chin and gave an approving nod. "Nice use of the Earth Pillar, my daughter; especially for a first use in a combat situation. Keep using that jutsu and you'll develop it further."

Hitomi bowed. "Thank you. But who will I end up facing in the academy exams?"

"I really shouldn't tell you…but it won't be an academy exam, per say."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean you'll fight someone after you pass your academy exams; your future team teacher."

Hitomi's eyes widened. The thought of having to fight someone she is most likely not familiar with was enough to throw off her focus. Now she couldn't help but think of what her future team teacher will be like. Her train of thought was quickly broken when her father approached her.

"Don't let that discourage you, now." Her father said as he patted her shoulder. "You can do it. All you need to do is put in one more day's worth of work. I think we can stop for now. It's still early, so we can resume later on. Since we just sparred, I think some breakfast is in order.

They head back inside the house. Hitomi's father quickly prepared a set of rice balls for himself and Hitomi. "Eat up; can't continue to train on an empty stomach."

Hitomi eagerly started to eat her plate of rice balls.

Her father looked at her inquisitively. "Any other methods of training you've thought of for today?"

"Nothing all that special…I think I'll continue to use my Earth Pillar and see how far I can take it."

"Good, very good. That move will serve you well, granted you practice enough with it to create stronger pillars."

"That's the plan, all right."

They quickly finished their food. The sun has already started to rise. Hitomi, now filled with energy from her breakfast, left her house and wandered the village. She came across a boy her age, who wore a light blue jumpsuit with a face mask. The Uchiha symbol was printed on the right shoulder. Although his appearance made Hitomi raise her eyebrow, his voice instantly rang a bell.

"You're up really early, Hitomi" Said the voice.

Hitomi eased her suspicions. "Is that you, Ichiro? I didn't even recognize you there."

"Hah, well, with those exams tomorrow, my parents have already tailored my outfit for when I become a full-fledged ninja." His eyes darted to the ground and he leans against the side of his home.

Hitomi moved her head down and looked up at Ichiro. "What's the matter?"

Ichiro paused and picked his head up. "You'd probably understand…I've been thinking about the whole becoming a ninja endeavor and…I feel like there's not enough time for us to act our age anymore. For some of us, there's never been a time to act like a child. Some of our fellow ninja graduated before the age of ten…what is that…?"

Hitomi sighed and sat on a bench. She knew she was supposed to be training, but Ichiro bringing such a topic up was enough to draw her in. "Ichiro…what are you saying?"

"Seeing ninja so young bothers me…it leaves me with a bad feeling in my gut, even though I'm twelve…but it has made me question myself on why I'm becoming a ninja."

"Why do you want to become a ninja, Ichiro?"

"…To ensure a safer tomorrow. I want there to be a time when people like us aren't needed as much. Sure that'll leave us out of a job, but who cares."

Hitomi looked at the sky. "That's what the ninja before us has been doing, Ichiro…why else would the ninja academy be here? Because of them, we were able to have a decent education. Also, clans and lands have been united. Sure, there's fighting today…but it must've been many times worse years ago."

A loud voice made both of them jump. Another familiar face showed up with his hair styled in a high bun. Ichiro stood straight.

"Kojiro, I'm not surprised you're up early too." Said Ichiro.

Kojiro looked at Hitomi, his expression remained stoic. "I see you are talking to the 'teacher', Ichiro. I would question why, but I'm too busy perfecting my clan's abilities. Come, Ichiro."

Ichiro slowly shook his head and gave Hitomi a weak wave as he followed Kojiro.

Hitomi watched as they walked off. She turned around and headed towards the village gates. Once she reached the gates, she stood firmly on the ground and performed the same hand seals for the Earth Pillar. With a grunt and a strong stomp, the ground rose and formed a pillar of about five feet.

"_Still not tall enough…,_" Hitomi thought to herself. Of course, she wouldn't be able to get the best results within the first few tries, but thoughts on her future teacher's exam caused her to strive for better results. She had to be ready…Once more she repeated the process and stomped her foot on the ground. Another earth pillar rose from the ground of the same length. Agitated by this, Hitomi tried stomping her foot again. But this time, a second pillar rose in front of the first, only it was facing at a forty degree angle and four feet.

Hitomi bent forward and panted; she felt her chakra reserves suffer from forcing that extra pillar. After collecting herself, she stood up. "It's been a couple of hours since I left home…I shouldn't stop now…"

Once the sun had set, Hitomi decided to return home. Her father awaited her in the living room, while eating a bowl of rice pudding. He sighed upon looking at her; her face was covered in dirt, as was her clothes. She was also slightly drenched in sweat.

"Looks like someone had a productive last day." He said as he slightly chuckled. "Take those shoes off and clean up. Are you planning on having an early night?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yes. It's just as important to be fully rested. But for now…" She removed her shoes and ran towards the bathroom. After a quick wash, she quickly head off to bed and called it a day.

When the morning came, her father woke her up with a plate of food. "Eat up, Hitomi!" He said excitedly. "This should keep your mind focused and your body energized."

Hitomi chuckled and briefly yawned. "Th-thanks, father. But breakfast in bed…?"

"Pah! It's laundry day anyway! Just eat up and quickly get dressed! Today's YOUR day, Hitomi."

Hitomi thanked her father and quickly ate her food. After getting dressed, she bid her father farewell and left for the academy.

Her father returned to his room and lied in bed. With him is the picture of Hitomi's mother. "Today's the day...she's finally going to become a ninja. Don't worry about after her graduation, my dear. When the time comes when she awakens her eyes…I'll be there to do what I can." He closed his eyes and rubbed his eyelids. "Even if I do not have blood or eyes like you did…"


End file.
